


Just Right

by AtzenMeirge



Series: The Tick Drabbles [5]
Category: The Tick - All Media Types
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Short One Shot, Waxing_Poetic, based off of a scene from the cartoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29699988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtzenMeirge/pseuds/AtzenMeirge
Summary: Tick and Arthur help clean up the rubble from a recent battle. It's only a moment, but the sun hits the blue hero just right and now Arthur can't help but chase that vision.
Relationships: Arthur Everest & The Tick (The Tick), Arthur Everest/The Tick (The Tick)
Series: The Tick Drabbles [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021905
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Just Right

**Author's Note:**

> I initially didn't want to make this shippy but I decided to go for it instead.

Whenever heroes fight villains, both may inevitably destroy property. Roads, buildings, parks, cars, works of public art, you name it. All of it was fixed with the taxpayer's dollar.

Even Tick and Arthur destroyed things. Heroes weren't _required_ to help in restoration and cleanup, but some days were slow for the duo and it was always good to help.

The trend of fixing what they broke started when a mailbox had been knocked down and crumpled by a villain's monstrous pet dog. Tick had plunged the wooden pole back into the ground and wrenched the box back on top of it. Arthur had swept the trail of dirt and grass back into its shallow hole with his foot. Both had given a thumbs up to the owner of said mailbox and lawn before leaving.

Since then they had tried to help with any damage they could, and it got to the point where no construction worker questioned their presence.

Today they were cleaning up rubble from a no-longer-existing wall of a building.

Fingers blindly dug underneath a chunk, sliding against debris, to hold it. Arthur huffed as he lifted it. A lot of the pieces were heavy, this one having some sort of metal rebar poking out of it.

He made his return to the truck, back arched to balance the weight in his hands. He slid the piece in, along with a worker and the two went back to get more.

Sweat was collecting on his forehead and he wiped what he could with the back of his hand, looking for his partner.

Needless to say Tick was picking up all the heavy pieces and tossing them into the truck like the stone they were made of was actually styrofoam.

"How are you doing, Tick?"

The classic smile returned to the blue hero's face. "I'm doing great, chum!"

"Yea?" Arthur prompted. He bent down and lifted a piece with a grunt.

Tick found his own piece to carry and rested it on his shoulder, looking out towards the mid to late afternoon sun. "Nothing beats the feeling of doing some good, hard work. Whether that be serving justice or cleaning its dish."

He was still waxing poetic, but sound seemed to have been sucked from Arthur's world in that moment. He stared.

The scene in front of him was picturesque. The pose, the colors, the _light_. Everything came together flatteringly.

Arthur wasn't sure what exactly it all was, but he could dimly register his heart fluttering at the sublime sight.

It was almost sad to see it fade to a mist, though lingering, as Tick turned to face him with raised antenna and brow.

"-rthur? Arthur?"

"Oh!" he sputtered feeling embarrassed for being caught off guard staring. "Sorry, I didn't catch what you were saying."

"I asked how _you_ were doing," he said kindly, turning and leading the way to the truck.

"I'm uh, I'm doing fine. Just a little tired."

' _Just a little tired,_ ' he thought each time he looked over to catch that moment once more.

**Author's Note:**

> In the cartoon, if I remember right, there's a scene or more where the two of them are helping with clearing up rubble. It was something that stuck with me because other superhero shows and the like never showed the heroes themselves helping clean the mess they created. It's just another tally into why I love this property so much.


End file.
